Bagless vacuum cleaners often use cyclonic separation to separate dirt and dust debris from an airflow. Bagless vacuum cleaners maintain a consistently high level of suction, even as the dust collecting container incorporated into the vacuum cleaner fills with dirt.
A bagless vacuum cleaner is a vacuum cleaner, which instead of utilizing a flexible bag, which may be disposable, for dust collection, uses a reusable container, which may be generally rigid, as compared with a bag.
The absence of a dust bag in the vacuum cleaner can make it difficult to dispose of the dirt and dust which is collected during the vacuuming. This can be solved by employing a removable dust collecting receptacle, which is easily disengaged from the vacuum cleaner body and emptied, and is for example shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,201,786.
To be able to detach a dust-filled receptacle from the vacuum cleaner body and to move with the full dust receptacle to the dust bin for discharging of its content while maintaining the hygiene of the environment and the user's hands, the receptacle may be provided with a cover.
It is important that such a cover fits tightly on the dust receptacle, especially during operation of the vacuum cleaner, in order for air and dust not to escape from the dust collecting receptacle (or for air to enter the receptacle) and the separation efficiency of the vacuum cleaner hence being reduced. Nevertheless, it is difficult to manufacture a cover for a receptacle which fits tight enough all around the cover, and the permissible variation in the manufacturing tolerances of the two parts for such a device may be low, making it more difficult or expensive to manufacture.
Conventional sealing means, such as O-rings, are used in prior art solutions, e.g. in EP 0 743 039 and U.S. 2004/0074213, for sealing of the cover against the receptacle. Using O-rings, however, it is still of particular importance to achieve a tight fit between the cover and the receptacle and the locking of the cover in closed position is also very critical, since the sealing effect of O-rings is highly dependent on the compression pressure, axially between the receptacle and the cover.
The “axial direction” is understood as a direction which is substantially normal to an opening in the receptacle, which is to be closed by the cover. The “radial direction” is understood as a direction which is substantially perpendicular to the axial direction, and extends substantially from the perimeter of the opening and towards the middle of the opening. It is understood, that the opening may have a planar or non-planar perimeter, and/or that the opening may be symmetrically or asymmetrically shaped.
There is hence a need for a dust receptacle with a detachable cover which can be sealed against the receptacle all around the cover, and where the permissible variation in the manufacturing tolerances of the receptacle and the cover is higher and the demands on a tight fit between the two parts is lower than with prior art solutions.